25 Love and Life Lessons as Told by My 90s Song Collection

Yesterday I went to Lafayette with my parents to visit some family friends. My iPod and I got some alone time on the trip and I spent my time listening to my go-to 90s play list.

Since Valentine’s Day is upon us (or–for us single folks–since another random Tuesday is upon us), I started pondering what lessons on life and love were revealed within the lyrics of some my favorite 90s songs.

Here’s a run down of what I came up with:

1. Giving people something to talk about is a valid reason to start a relationship.

–“Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt

2. Staying in a relationship because you have a like of the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s in common? Also completely acceptable.

–“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something

3. A playground with a broken tree house and tire swing is a great place to kiss.

–“Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer

4. Kate is so awesome, even men want to be her.

–“Kate” by Ben Folds

5. Giving someone the runaround is not a sure fire to speed things up.

–“Runaround” by Blues Traveler

6. If you set low standards for someone–like that they won’t think–then you might not be disappointed by them.

–“Hey Jealousy” by Gin Blossoms

7. It’s all been done before.

–“It’s All been Done” by Barenaked Ladies

8. In the middle of the night you can do some heavy duty sleepwalking through jungles, deserts and even up mountains. But don’t think about crossing a river.

–“The River of Dreams” by Billy Joel

9. Hearing someone say they love you even if they’re pretending is better than nothing–even if mama says you shouldn’t bother with the guy.

–“Lovefool” by The Cardigans

10. When everybody loves you, that’s just about as funky as you can be.

–“Mr. Jones” by Counting Crows

11. Summertime is the best time to sit back and rewind. Also, nostalgia is sparked for some reason by the smell of a barbecue grill.

–“Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

12. Wine is a good way to delay misery.

–“Save Tonight” by Eagle Eye Cherry

13. Pouting until you get your way is a valid option for a guy.

–“Only Wanna Be with You” by Hootie and the Blowfish

14. The real world just really needs to stop hassling people.

–“Real World” by Matchbox 20

15. It’s cool to break into your significant other’s room by crawling through the window and then waiting in the dark until they get home.

–“Come to My Window” by Melissa Ethridge

16. Yeah, you can probably just dream someone into life.

–“I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden

17. You can say all the right things at the right times, but it probably isn’t going to make a whole lot of difference.

–“Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon

18. You can be a million different people from one day to the next. (Of course, this may be a sign of a mental disorder.)

–“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve

19. It’s normal to have several hour long conversations with a wallet photograph.

–“The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” by Weezer

20. Sometimes you just don’t want to be seen by the world because clearly no one would understand.

–“Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls

21. Live your life without warning. (Warning about what, I’m not quite sure…)

–“Warning” by Green Day

22. Memories are inviting & mighty frightening.

— “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt

23. LA is not a disco or a country club.

–“All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Club

24. You’ll never shine if you don’t glow.

–“All Star” by Smashmouth

25. Love is better than ice cream and chocolate. (But if you’re a guy and have a significant other, you should probably still put chocolate into the Valentine’s Day equation.)